New Flame of Ponyville
by HUNGRYBURGER25
Summary: A lost soul finds himself in a new body as.. a pony? Lost in a place he has never seen, his search for a home, and friends, takes odd and unsuspecting turns, as he discovers his special talent: speed and fire. Includes mane 6 and others.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Arrival to a new world

There was nothing, no sound, no colors. I sat there in a dream, willing myself to wake up. Where am I? I had no answers. I tried to move myself. Nothing. Or at least I couldn't feel it. My eyes began to open. My vision seemed... different somehow. But it wasn't an issue. I can see clearly now. I could see a field, shimmering dew in the late night. That's what I could gather. I tried to lift my body up. I was met with something odd. My limbs felt different, bent in an odd way. Backwards, as it seemed. Did I break something? This seemed unlikely, as I felt no pain and no awkwardness in the motion. What happened to me? I stood up finally, the strangeness of my body melted as I almost fall backwards onto my haunches. I stand back up, and look around me. There were no animals, no other moving things. I could hear a river. I decided to try walking towards it. It took me awhile to reach it, as my body did not respond to me very well. I felt something on my back, but I did not check it as I needed water. I finally reached the river after some time passed as I stumbled and fell about. I peered down into the water. What is that? I looked down and saw a horse, where my reflection should be. It had red eyes, and a fur coat as black as the sky above. There was a red mane that put hair just above his eyes. I moved my leg, and found a hoof touching his face. My face. I stood there, contemplating. Where am I? Why am I a horse? A stallion, hopefully still. I checked myself to be sure. Yep, still male. I tried to use all of my muscles to check them. One movement startled me upon its happening. Black, feathered wings began to move behind me in my reflection. Thinking it was a predator, I jumped away, facing behind where I was. I saw nothing, then tried to create that movement again. Wings, I said to myself. I tried to flap them, and created a small gust. After some tries, I achieved getting a few feet off the ground, and promptly falling on my face. Great job there. I decided to stay on foot, as to not hurt myself. I looked down the river, and saw distant lights. I began to walk down alongside the river, slowly but surely.

**This is my first chapter of my first story, hope you enjoyed it. I will try to make it pick up soon, I'm relatively new in this fiction. Please leave reviews and suggestions for new chapters, and I will try to use them. Thank you****. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

New Friends

I walked along the river, slowly gaining my balance as I traveled. I began to make out a farm, but I wasn't sure what they could be farming. I saw another horse, a mare, from what I could see, kick a nearby tree, and apples fell into a basket next to the tree. An apple farm, I thought to myself. But, wouldn't that mean there'd be more than one tree? I looked up and saw my answer. The trees had ripe, fresh apples hanging from every branch. I decided I had to eat after my stomach grumbled in hunger. "Well let's try flying again." I said to myself quietly. I gave a couple strong flaps, and was just under the apples, my hoof so close to it, when I heard a voice, "Hey, mind if I ask who you are, stranger?" I fell back to the ground, my concentration on my wings gone. "Oh my, are you all right there?" It was the mare. Up close I could see she had blonde hair, with an orange colored coat, and wonderfully shining green eyes. I saw three apples on her right flank. "I'm fine, thank you." I replied as I stumbled back onto my feet. "Mind if ah ask again just what you were doin' there?" I felt my cheeks get hot, as I really had no explanation. "W-well you see, I really don't know where I am, or who I am, and I-I was hungry, and…" I trailed off as I looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry for trespassing, miss." I started to walk away when I felt a hoof grab my hind leg and pull me back. "Ah didn't say you had to jus leave, now did ah?" The mare asked with a smile. "The name's Applejack, by the way." I gave a light smile, and replied, "Nice to meet you, Miss Applejack. I really don't have a name to give you for me." She looked at me, and then asked, "Where's your cutie mark?" Confused, I replied, "My what?" I searched myself for whatever imperfection I had that caused her to ask that. "See mine?" She moved her flank so I could see the triad of apples on her skin. "It shows what yer special talent is. "Well, I uh… don't really know who I am…" I muttered as I looked at the ground. "Well let's go to town, maybe someone will recognize ya!" I knew this would be false, but I nodded and smiled weakly. She's a nice one, I thought to myself. As she led me past the barn, and onto a path that led to a town, I thought to myself, maybe there's someone who can tell me where I came from. She walked beside me, catching me the few times I nearly fell. As we entered town, I saw many other mares walking around, doing business in the way societies usually do. Where are the other males, I wondered. I haven't seen any, minus a few in the stores. Must be a gender ratio, I guess. I was interrupted in my thoughts as a pink mare popped right up in front of me. "Hi!" I yelped and fell on my back, not ready for that jump. She started talking to Applejack, and as I got up from the ground, she got right back to me. "I don't know you, and I know everypony in Ponyville, and that means if you're new, I need to throw a party!" She then started happily bouncing away down the street. "She always like that?" I asked Applejack, not sure of that one. "Pinkie's always like that," she replied. "You'll get used to it." She smiled as we continued down the road, to what looked like a tree with windows. It was large, and I began to wonder why we came here. "Mah friend Twilight should be able to help you out," Applejack stated as we approached the door. I was almost sad I might have to leave Applejack's company. She smells of apples and walks with confidence. She knocked on the door, and waited. A purple mare, with darker hair, and a horn, opened the door. "Oh hello, Applejack. What brings you here?" She asks as she looks at me. "Who's this?" I look down at the ground and Applejack says, "This here stallion's right confused." She says while placing a hoof on my shoulder. "He don't know where he is, or what his name is." I started to fidget, not sure what to do. "I'll see what I can do." She says happily. Are all the residents of this town so friendly? I looked up at this Twilight, and looked at her eyes. The eyes of these mares are so captivating, I thought. "Come in, then." She gestured, and I entered her home. "Ah have to go, apples need bucking." With that, Applejack left, leaving me with Twilight. "So, what's your name, then?" She asked politely, as she sat down a chair near the shelves of books. "I um… don't really have a name." I looked away, at the ground, as I spoke. "Do you know where you came from?" I decided to tell her just what happened. I explained how I woke up in the fields, with no recollection of my past. She just listened attentively, looking over me as I spoke. Once I finished, she spoke, "I think I might be able to find your memories, piece by piece. I can sense a force of magic in you, which is normal, but this seems more powerful than most." She explained as she grabbed a book off a nearby shelf. "I really don't understand, magic? Would that have something to do with my coming here?" I asked as she flipped through the pages. "Maybe. You seem to have properties in your inner magic that would point to another source. This is a bit of a risk, but may I use a spell to scan your memories?" Her question confused me. She can do that? I pondered this as I didn't want her to see my thoughts of Applejack. But, I needed to know. "Go ahead, before I change my mind." I say as I jokingly point my head at her. She giggled at this, then I saw her horn glow. I felt another presence in my mind, pushing against my head. I started to feel dizzy, then I collapsed onto the floor, black seeping in. I saw images of Ponyville, then Applejack, the field, and at last, I saw nothing. Then a fire sparked itself onto a large patch of grass. The flames travelled at wild speeds, unnatural for fire to move. I realized this was me. I saw the elements clash and explode, thunderbolts smashed the ground as the fire combatted against sporadic spikes of ice exploding from the ground. I felt these pounding through my body, until one final blast separated it all, and created a pony. A black stallion fell from the sky, where the blast happened, and fell from the ground, up into the sky, through a light in the dark clouds. Was I sent here by some divine, yet violent power? It all faded to black, as unconsciousness fell upon me once again.

**I wrote this chapter because I had a lot of good ideas today, and I really did not want them to go to waste, so I'm going to speed up my typing. I need a name for the stallion, and maybe a picture? If anyone wants to draw the black Pegasus I described, he has a red mane and tail. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Heat of Competition

_The rest of the story will be in third person, and the point of view may change based on who is involved. _

He sat in a void, no colors or anything in sight. He could hear a melody, however. He couldn't help but hum along in his dream state, the notes soothing him. Was this from my memory? He found he could move and walked forward, with nothing in his sight but black.

Somewhere…

Over the Rainbow…

The words began to play back in my head, along with the tune. What was this song? Why was it coming to me, he thought to himself. The music began to fade, but he felt something familiar. Heat. Fire. He saw a light in the far distance of his mind. He then heard an omniscient voice. "Gladius. That is your name, no? Even if you do not remember, this is you, mortal." The voice spoke coldly, the mere sound chilling him to the bone. "Are you willing to tap into your destructive power, to find your soul? We will soon see." He approached the source of the light. A fire, seemingly floating in front of his nose. He wondered what this voice could mean. He felt his mane warm at his approach. Why did his mane do this? "You have been born to control the elements of this world," the voice continued. "Your first is Fire, the most basic, pulling its power from the heat in the air, or from the heat of anger. Use it well." His last words triggered a burning, searing pain through his body, no part of him safe from the inferno consuming him. He watched as the flames grew. The flames began to die, as he began to try to fight his way out, but rather, the flames began to die. He felt himself warming up, as if he absorbed it. He tried to call upon the fire. He felt his mane heat up. It was then a mirror appeared. He saw his red eyes, glowing at the use of his power. His eyes looked at his wings, then to his mane, which, to his great surprise, was on fire. He stood there, watching the flames with great intent.

"You still don't understand control."

"I'll manage," Gladius responded flatly.

"I will be watching you, mortal. Don't not disappoint."

Gladius stood there, contemplating an answer. "Surely you could tell me more."

The voice was silent, until one phrase was spoken, "When the full moon rises, innocence dies in the fire."

Gladius' eyes widened slightly, then he replied, "What do I call you?"

The voice said nothing. Gladius became annoyed by this. "Fine. I'll find my own way out then."

He began to walk as he heard a name spoken, that caused the fires of his mane to die instantly. "Mesna." The black stallion shivered at this name, for reasons he did not know. He felt his body began to weaken as he began to awake.

"He hasn't woken up yet, Spike. Did I overdo something?" He could decipher this as Twilight's voice. He heard a reply, from a voice he did not recognize, "He must have not been receptive of your spell completely." He sunk backwards into unconsciousness, falling backwards into the dark. Gladius woke up, surrounded by rubble and flames, in what seemed to be a ruined city. He heard Mesna's voice once again, "This is what you must become. This is what I have foreseen for you." Gladius watched as he saw himself walk by, a cold, cruel look in his own eyes. His vision saw him walk over to a cyan colored mare, with a dirtied mane, the rainbow hues greatly greyed out. He watched as the poor soul attempted to beg, "P-Please…" He watched in horror as the Gladius vision's eyes and mane lit up, his mane's flames climbing higher, as the Pegasus rose up in flames, screaming in pain. He heard Mesna once more, "Pain is the only thing you may cause, mortal. Embrace this darkness, and achieve the status of a god," he said as he vision faded. Gladius stood there, and finally came to a decision. "Since I obviously don't know how my power works, why don't you show your face and show me?"

There was a pause, then he heard, "You dare challenge me?" Mesna's voice becoming more chilling to hear.

"Call it practice," Gladius replied.

The darkness faded, and he found himself in the field he had woken in. What sort of madness does this Mesna controls, Gladius thought to himself. He heard dark, cold laughter. He was knocked back, but landed on his hooves as an alicorn, pure white in coat but a mane as black as Gladius' coat was, appeared in front of him. He also saw a smaller alicorn floating by him, its color pitch black and it had yellow ovals as eyes, and no iris. He felt Mesna's gaze break through him, pale blue eyes that reminded Gladius of ice. "Your challenge is accepted." He only had moments to push himself off the ground, before a wall of lightning flew by where he was. He took notice that his hooves left scorch marks on the grass, leaving black circles, and his mane lit up at the sudden alarm. He kept moving, strafing around Mesna as more electric blasts were hurdled toward him. He became quickly frustrated by his inability to fight back, only being able to just barely dodge. He heard a quiet, but confident voice of a stallion break into his mind, "Will the flames to strike back! Imagine the fire, and it shall be so," this new voice stated as another volley of lightning flew by. Well, all right then, Gladius thought to himself. He concentrated on Mesna's position as he flew up into the sky, and as he wanted, a plume of flames rose where Mesna stood. He floated, not even using his wings, faster than the flames could move, directly up and towards Gladius. Gladius tried creating a wall between him and his adversary, but it stood no chance as Mesna slammed into the ground with his fore hooves. "You will submit!" Mesna's voice becoming colder as he floated back. Gladius took this moment to recharge, as all the heat around him began to find its way into his body, his fiery mane growing much higher as his energy spread to his tail, and he felt more powerful than he did before the fight. "What's this?" Mesna became intrigued by this new tactic.

Gladius had no control beyond what happened next. There was a massive blast, the flames merely finding their ways around Gladius, doing him no harm. Mesna was sent flying away, through the nearby trees, completely taken by surprise by the sudden outburst. Gladius stood up, wondering what sort of power had just been released in him. He tried to call upon in again to heal himself. This area is cold, he thought to himself. Just as he began to move, Mesna reappeared, no emotion on his nor his smaller silhouette's face.

"Well, it seems you aren't as worthless as I first thought," Mesna stated harshly.

"Who asked you?" Gladius retorted.

"Hm. Maybe I should congratulate you. I'll allow you your full potential. If you can survive my challenge." Mesna's tone took a colder tone as he reached his last sentence. The black alicorn floated down to the ground. It changed its coat to the red of Gladius' mane, its mane his black. He had demonic bat wings rather than the feathered wings most pegasi had. "This is the embodiment of your full darkness. It feels no pain, no remorse. Indeed, it is all I could want." Mesna smirked at his creation. "He will descend upon your new found precious town on the full moon, in three days. You must be strong enough to defeat him, or all will perish." Mesna decided it was time to show Gladius the true length his sight could see. "He will take great pleasure in ending the life of your precious Earth pony," He said as a vision of Applejack walking down a pathway to the town, it disappearing quickly once Mesna was sure it had gotten through to Gladius. Gladius' mane lit up instantly at this statement, becoming instantly enraged. "Good to see I know what gets you going. I will release you back to your reality." He waved his hoof, pure dark finding itself back into Gladius' vision.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took me awhile, I've been busy. To seniorcopycat, thanks for the idea in this chapter. Anyway, this chapter is happening at the same time as the last chapter, while Gladius was still sleeping. Anyway, hope you enjoy, and ideas and reviews are always appreciated!**

Chapter 4

Twilight decided to write a letter to her teacher, Princess Celestia, in Canterlot, to ask her about any type of fire based magic, as she herself could not find anything on the subject in her library. As she and Spike were finishing the letter, however, she noticed the black stallion began to stand up, but his eyes were closed. She tried to get his attention, "Hey, are you ok?" He then began to run out the door, actually pushing clear through it, as if he was possessed. "Spike, we have to stop him! He could get hurt!" Twilight began to run after him, and Spike decided it would be best to go and find the Twilight's friends, as they would be able to help.

Meanwhile, Twilight tried to use her magic to slow the stallion down, hoping not to hurt him. He was dodging her magical blasts without missing a beat, and it wasn't too long until he had taken off into the sky. Twilight tried to keep him down to the ground, but couldn't land any direct hits. As he was about to get away, Rainbow Dash tackled him down, her speed allowing her to catch him off guard. He fell back down to the ground, but was up almost instantly. The cyan mare was tossed off as he stood up, his mane lighting up. As he braced his knees, getting ready to move, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike arrived to the field that Twilight, Rainbow Dash and the black pony were already standing.

"Hey! We're your friends here!" Rainbow Dash tried to yell at the pony. His eyes didn't open, and he flew towards Rarity. Twilight was able to fire a blast of magic and knock him over, and send him to the right. Fluttershy ducked back as he was knocked away, hoping he'd wake up soon. The sleeping adversary was back up to his hooves, however, ready to fight. He fired off a volley of fire bolts, each to a different pony, and Spike. Twilight was able to destroy most of the balls of fire, but the one heading for Rainbow Dash was just too far away, Dash was able to evade this attack, and retaliated by flying up and causing a cloud to rain down on the fiery stallion. The fire emanating from his mane was dying quickly, and it could be seen he was losing energy fast. He tried to run away, out of the rain, but Applejack caught him in the side with a swift kick from her hind legs. He fell down, defeated at last, but he was still sleeping. As the seven cautiously approached the slumbering pony, Twilight noticed a black mist seeping from his face. It dissipated quickly, however, and she couldn't observe it any closer.

As Gladius began to open his eyes, slowly, he could see he had awoken someplace new. He was in a field nearby Twilight's home, and he was being looked upon by six mares and the dragon assistant of Twilight. He recognized Twilight, Applejack, and the Miss Rarity who owned the boutique he had passed earlier. There was also a cyan colored pony, who was hovering with use of her wings, who had a rainbow mane, with every color in it. There was also a very pink pony who had three balloons as what he knew as a cutie mark. The last one he saw, was a yellow pony, with long pink hair who seemed to be trying to hide from him. When he tried to stand, however, he felt pain rise from his side. He groaned at this, and tried to use heat to heal himself, but couldn't bring as much as a small spark.

"Ouch." Gladius could manage to say as he tried to stand up."

"Sorry 'bout that, sugarcube." Applejack said apologetically.

"How did I get here?" Gladius asked, confused by the circumstances.

"You were sleepwalking, somehow. You were also fighting us, so we had to stop you," Rainbow Dash said with almost a hint of pride in her voice.

"I see." Gladius really had no idea what was going on. He tried to gather his thoughts from his dream. Was he fighting Mesna causing him to move in the real world? He decided he should first figure out what happened. "Did I hurt anypony?"

"We're all fine, darling," Rarity spoke in her rather sophisticated voice. "We're more worried about you at the moment." She batted her eyelashes as she began to say," I'm afraid Applejack did quite a number on your side." Gladius wasn't sure what she was going for, but he went past it. "Twilight, I did remember my name, while I was asleep."

"Well, that's good. What is your name?" She seemed happy he was at least remembering something.

"My name is Gladius. I don't think I know everypony here though." He was hoping to at least know names.

"My name is Rainbow Dash, but you can just call me Dash. I'm the best flier in Equestria." The rainbow-maned mare stated in a bragging voice. "And this is Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike, and you know Applejack and Twilight already." He waved his hoof, and nodded at Rainbow Dash as he tried to stand up. He quickly fell back down, however. His body was too weak. "Here, I'll just take him to the hospital, alright?" Applejack hoisted him up off the ground, he grunted a bit at the sudden movement, but was all right otherwise. "One moment." Gladius motioned for Applejack to stop before they left. "Twilight, I was visited by an evil pony in my dreams, called Mesna. He said that Ponyville will be attacked by a pony made of my own inner darkness. I have to be ready to fight him before he gets here." Twilight pondered this, and then replied, "We should first try to find out if we can get your memories back first. I'll write to my teacher in magic, and see if she knows how to help." Pinkie Pie was already back to bouncing up and down as she said, "I'm going to get your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party set up! It'll be so much fun!" She bolted off, bouncing down to town. "She always that hyper?" Gladius was still getting what she said. "You get used to it." Rarity replied calmly.

As everypony set off to work on finding out more for this new pony, Gladius fell into thought. Who am I, truly? What does Mesna want with me? Why does he think I have feelings for Applejack? He looked over at the mare who was carrying him, her ponytail swaying side to side as she walked. He couldn't help but smile, but his smile faded as one last thought crept into his mind.

Am I a danger to her and everypony here?


	5. Chapter 5

**Just want to say thank you to the people who have followed this story so far, I hope maybe you will leave a review and help me create a good story. By the way, any artists out there who could maybe help me draw Gladius, it'd be great if you could help me there. I want a good cover picture of him. Back to his story.**

Chapter 5

Applejack started to feel tired from carrying Gladius for such a long time. It was a pretty warm day, also. "All right, ah need a break." She set the stallion down gently, he didn't show any signs of discomfort. "You all right, sugarcube?" He looked up, a small smile forming on his face. "I've been better. But I'm all right." He laid his head back down, and saw a group of ponies were having a bonfire. I remember the air was cold n my dream when I let out that blast, he thought to himself. Maybe I can absorb the fire there…

He looked at the fire, concentrated, and then willed the heat it produced to come to him. He saw the fire begin to die as he felt his body warm up. The ponies around it began to get annoyed with their fire's quick dying state. He then willed the fire within to heal his body. His side first tightened, and then he experienced a soothing feeling throughout his body. He jumped up, his legs finally back underneath him. Applejack jumped up in surprise, not ready for the sudden movement. "Gladius!" Applejack ran right to his side, ready to help him if he falls. "No, I'm fine." Gladius spread his wings out to stretch them. "You sure you're all right? You were just barely able to move." Applejack looked over him, looking for the bruises she left earlier. "I'm sure, Applejack. I figured out I can absorb heat from a source and use it to heal myself, somehow." She seemed to be satisfied with this explanation. "All right, Gladius. Just promise me you won't work yourself too hard." She had a worried look on her face. He decided he had to make sure she was sure of him. "All right, Applejack. I promise." He smiled, and folded his wings back. "I am kind of hungry. Can we get something?" Applejack smiled and knew just where to go. "We can go to my home. We can get some apples." Gladius nodded, and they walked in the direction of the orchard.

By the time they arrived at the orchard, Applejack was talking about her family, talking about all of her relatives. He was listening happily, wondering what it was like to have such a well-connected family. She opened the door to the barn, going in to get a basket for gathering apples. Suddenly, lights flicked on as a huge crowd yelled out, "Surprise!" Applejack and Gladius weren't expecting such a huge crowd to be in the barn at one time. "Are you surprised? I bet you were!" Pinkie Pie was already up to Gladius' face, her wide grin almost comically wide. "I'll admit, you got me that time." Gladius was actually surprised by this, and how she could set up such a huge party in a short time. "Now let's get this party started!" Pinkie Pie fired off a cannon filled with confetti, and the music started. Applejack walked in, ready to join her friends in the party. Gladius walked over to the food table, where he started to eat as much as he could stomach. While he was eating, he found he could hone his hearing to other conversations going on in the room. He could pick out Applejack's voice, and decided to listen for a while. "He is kinda cute, but wish I could find out more about him…" Another voice, one he couldn't decipher the source, replied, "You should try to talk to him. He's over there. Besides, we're playing spin the bottle later anyway…" He could see from across the room that Applejack was blushing, and he heard her say back, "I'll just go talk to him, alright?" He finished the cupcake he had started and cleaned himself up. He watched as Applejack trotted over, a smile adorning her face. "Hey there," She tried to keep her eyes from moving around, but she was failing in that. "Hey." Gladius smiled back. "Having fun, sugarcube?" Gladius couldn't help but laugh a bit. "This is definitely something else. I am enjoying myself." He could see Pinkie Pie stand up on a stereo, and pick up a microphone. "Time to play spin the bottle!" She set up a circle for her and the rest of her closest friends. "Hey Applejack! Gladius!" She said in a sing-song voice. "Come on! We won't start without you!" They made a circle, with Gladius between Rarity and Pinkie Pie, Applejack across from him. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy sitting by her sides. Twilight sat down between Fluttershy and Rarity. They all looked around at each other, wondering who will start it. "I'll start it!" Pinkie Pie spun the bottle and as it spun, Gladius decided to ask Rarity, "What do we do in this game?" Rarity turned, and replied, "Someone spins the bottle, and whoever it points to, the person who spun it has to kiss them." Gladius' eyebrows went up, and Rarity laughed. "It's fine darling. It's all just for fun." The bottle stopped on Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie jumped up, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and hopped back to her spot. Dash blushed, and spun the bottle.

After about ten spins, it still hadn't landed on Gladius. He was sitting slightly back, watching lazily. It was Applejack's turn, and as she spun the bottle, Gladius decided to see how his heat powers could mess with the spin. He heated up the ground underneath the bottle, making the ground smoother as it spun, making it spin more. As it slowed down, he could see who it was going to land on. Before he could change it in any way, it stopped on him.

His blush was easily seen, as was Applejack's. Her face was bright red, as all the other mares knew she had a small crush for him. He sat up straighter as he looked to her eyes. She walked across, and gave him the kiss. He felt the heat rise in his body, and when it was over, she smiled, and backed up. He could tell the party was tiring out, so he decided now was the time to go. "Well, that was fun." He got some giggles from the other ponies in the circle. "I'm gonna go for a flight." Applejack stood up, looking at him longingly. "Aw, but can't you stay a while longer?" Gladius had decided earlier he needed to fly at night. "I just need to spread my wings. I'll be back soon, ok?" Applejack looked down at the ground, then smiled as she looked at his eyes. "All right, Gladius. But please be back soon, you hear?" Gladius nodded, and opened the door, then took off into the night. "Applejack, what's wrong?" Twilight walked over to Applejack, seeing Applejack's worried expression. "I just have this feeling."

Gladius was soaring over the clouds, the cool wind of the night flowing through his mane, the air chilled him, but he warmed himself back up when it became too much. He looked down and could see all of the town below. Lights could still be seen, he could even pick out a few couples in the fields, probably holding the night as precious time before they had to leave each other. He couldn't help but wonder what that was like. He looked forward and saw a lone Pegasus standing among the clouds, but this Pegasus also has a horn. Odd, he thought. He decided he would speak to this mysterious pony. He could see she had a midnight blue coat, and an almost starry looking mane, that flowed in the wind. She was tall and thin, and had a sad look in her eyes.

He carefully landed on the cloud closest to this pony, but stayed silent. He stood there for what felt like hours, then she finally said, "What brings thou this far in the sky so late at night?" He stood there, almost confused by her speech pattern. "I just like the night. It's…calming. I find peace in the night. But in a few days, the coming of the full moon may bring my greatest challenge." He didn't know why he could tell her this, but he felt comfortable saying this. "There are few like you, young one. Not many are as grateful for the night." He looked at her, and she looked down at the ground below. "Despite what I've forgotten, of all I don't know anymore, the night…it reminds me of peace. I wish I could only remember…" Gladius looked down at the world below, but in the corner of his eye, he saw the pony turn. "You have no recollection of your past?"

"I woke up today, not remembering anything. Now I have friends who are trying to help me. But I don't think some of them fully get why I'm not sure yet." He looked back up, into the stars. "Some pony, named Mesna, came to my dreams. I know he's evil. But I'm no match for his power. I can't tell them this, or they might put themselves in danger." The tall mare looked over him intently. "Are you sure it was called Mesna?" Gladius looked up at her. "Yes. And I know I remember this name. It makes me cold." The memory chilled him, so he lit his mane. The mare seemed entirely fine with his display, and asked, "What is your name, stallion?"

"Gladius."

The mare stood there, as if pondering this name. "I am Luna, raiser of the moon, Princess of Equestria." Gladius stood there, not confused, but curious. "I wouldn't imagine the Princess of Equestria would have any duties way out here, huh?" She laughed a bit at this, then replied, "No, but sometimes looking into the dreams of the sleeping helps me learn the world." He looked at her, wondering how she does so. "If only someone could do that with my memories." Gladius lost the fire in his mane at this statement, the cold inviting itself back. "I believe it will return when the time is right." Luna seemed satisfied by her reply. "You're right. Good night, Princess Luna. I hope I see you again." With that, he let himself fall off the cloud, catching himself on his wings after a short fall, and began to fly back to the orchard.

Luna decided it was best to go home. She needed to find out if her sister, Princess Celestia, was aware of the return of this Mesna to this world.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Applejack couldn't help but worry for Gladius, and her friends could tell she was worried. "Applejack, you sure we can't help?"

"I just think we should stay with him. Considering this morning…"

Gladius soared over the clouds as he became clouded in his own thoughts. Why am I here? Where can I find my past? He came down to the ground, on the soft, dew-covered grass of the fields he first awoke in. He put his hooves down, and folded his wings as he looked over the expanse of grass around him. He lit his mane as he heard a sound behind him. He was met with a small filly, who had large dark blue eyes that seemed to pierce his heart. "Oh. Isn't a bit late for a filly to be out and about?" Gladius looked at the filly, as she began to speak. "I'm lost." The small one's voice was barely audible, but Gladius caught it word for word. "Where are your parents?" The filly started to paw the ground. She nodded towards the Everfree Forest, and whispered, "The…the monster took them…" Gladius stood there, confused by what she meant. He looked at her, and decided to ask what she knew. "What did this monster look like?"

"It looked like a thing from my dreams…it had huge claws and horrible fangs!"

Gladius stood there, looking at the forest, wondering what kind of monster would only capture ponies. "Let's go look for them." The filly nodded, as they started to walk towards the forest.

"What's your name, kid?"

"B-Blizzard Storm."

"Where'd you get that name?"

The filly stopped walking as she tried to find her words. "My…my mama loves the winter. She says I have the colors of the winter." Her white mane fell over her eyes as she ducked her head as she finished her sentence. Her light blue and white coat was still immaculate. "What does your cutie mark mean?" Gladius pointed a hoof at the mark on her left flank. It was a gale of wind that had snowflakes at the end of the wind gust. "My papa told me I'm special. I can make winter for mama when she wants me to." Gladius was confused, even though she was a pegasus pony, he knows ponies can't simply change the seasons at will. "How do you do that?"

"Promise you won't run away?"

"I promise."

The filly stood in the clearing they had entered, and Gladius felt the air temperature drop almost instantly. He raised his body temperature as he saw the filly's eyes go to a pale blue, and the wind began to circle around her. Soon, snow began to fly around in a fast blizzard as the filly looked a nearby tree as ice spikes flew into it. She brought the entire blizzard down as she began to buckle under her own force. Gladius moved to her, picking up the filly back to her feet.

"You all right?"

"I'm ok. My papa has helped me to learn my blizzard power." She pawed the ground, and asked, "You don't think I'm weird…do you?"

Gladius felt a smile wash over his face. "Hardly. I think I got you beat on the weird part." He conjured a fireball in the air, and blew up the tree Blizzard had used as a target earlier. Her eyes went wide as she saw the blast. "My name is Gladius, by the way." He held out a hoof, and added, "I think we can be friends." Blizzard took his hoof, and replied, "I…thank you." They continued their journey to a cave, which had a dark red tinge over the entrance. Blizzard hid behind the black pony, fear overcoming her. "Mama and papa are in there." Gladius looked into the cave, seeing nothing further than a few feet into the pitch dark of the subterranean entrance. He created a ball of flame that floated in front of him, and began to walk inside. He felt hooves take his hind leg, and a quiet voice, "Please don't leave me…" He stopped, as he turned his head and considered the filly. Surely, I can't leave her here. But I have no idea what's in there, Gladius thought to himself.

"You can either come with me, or wait here until I come back."

She bowed her head, and then looked him right in the eyes. "I need to find my mama and papa."

Gladius nodded, and the duo walked into the dark, the fire illuminating the walls of the cave. The cave walls were a dark red, and the cave reeked of death. Blizzard began to gag, as the smell intensified. Gladius stopped, as he saw a corpse on the ground nearby. It looked nothing like Blizzard, but he had to be sure. "Is that your mama?" She shook her head, and they walked around the body as they continued. The ceiling was far above them, and he could see gemstones protruding out of the rocks above. Blizzard tapped his front hoof as they saw what was causing the death of these ponies. A dragon, far too large to be normal from what he could tell, was sleeping at the center of a large underground clearing. The dragon was surrounded by gemstones and the bodies of ponies. Blizzard gasped as she saw a living pony, a mare, which looked strikingly similar to the young filly. "Mama!" She attempted to run to her mother, but Gladius stopped her. "Wait," Gladius whispered as the dragon stirred in its sleep. Blizzard let out a small squeak as the mare across the cave moved towards the light created by the fire when the dragon opened its eyes, and saw the three in a group. It let out a growl as Gladius stood to look at it as Blizzard and her mother huddled together behind the stallion. Gladius' mane lit up as the dragon brought itself up to its feet and considered the group. The dragon went to swing its large, scaly hand to slam Gladius, but Gladius fired enough heat to cause the dragon to howl in pain, and it roared in his face. Blizzard and her mother started to run as the dragon got ready to swing its tail into them. Blizzard ducked as the huge tail slammed through rocks across the cave floor, eventually going right over Blizzard, but right into her mother. "Mama!" The dragon went to crush the filly, as Gladius lit his eye on fire. The dragon tried to retaliate, but Gladius started to send a plume of flames right into his huge face, and Blizzard was frozen in her tracks due to the huge uproar the dragon was creating. "Blizzard! Run!" The filly ran, tears streaming down her face as she ran as fast as she could out of the cave. Gladius picked up a rock, and superheated it as he threw it at the dragon's ugly maw. It became lodged in between the teeth of the leviathan reptile, and he heated it to temperatures at which it became magma, streaming into the dragon's throat. The dragon couldn't bear the heat, and began to choke. Gladius tried to absorb the heat in the dragon's body, and he felt a huge flux of power enter his body as he saw the dragon become cold and fall to the ground. He waited until he was sure the dragon was dead until he moved. He looked around the cave for Blizzard's mother. He saw the mare on the cold ground, her eyes fluttering and her body all but smashed on one side. She was wheezing, and he out a hoof on her face. "P-please…take care of my little girl…" She coughed a puddle of blood onto the ground, as she tried to stand. "Miss…I won't let you down." She smiled, and gestured to another corpse on the floor of the cave. "Her…father…I hope he will be happy to know…she will live…" He looked at a stallion that was brutalized at the corner of the cave, his eyes wide open. Gladius cringed as he held this sight in his mind. "Don't…let her…know…we died…without saying…we love…" Her eyes fell shut, and her body went limp. Gladius put her face down, and he stood back up. He walked out of the cave, Blizzard jumped over to him. "Gladius! That was horrible! I'm so happy you're ok!" She then remembered what had happened. "But…where's mama?" Gladius' head fell, and his eyes met the ground. He couldn't bear to tell her, such a young, innocent filly that her parents were dead.

"Blizzard…I'm sorry." He held the filly close to him, and he saw the tears before he finished. Her cries echoed through his mind as he held the young one close, her tears finding themselves buried into his chest. "Why…?" Her question went unanswered, as Gladius just had no words.

"Blizzard…your mother…told me to take care of you. I promised her I would watch you…I won't let her down."

Blizzard looked at the ground, and Gladius decided to tell her, "Your parents were hoping you were safe over their own lives. They loved you right to the end. You must live, for them."

Gladius put a hoof on her shoulder, as she sniffled, and looked up at him. "Ok." Her voice was quiet, and her blue eyes looked more of the ocean, than of the sky. He picked her up onto his shoulders as he walked away, out of the forest. Blizzard fell asleep quickly as Gladius journeyed on. Can he take care of a young filly, when he can't even keep himself together? He felt tears going down his face as he remembered a fateful day, long before he found himself in Ponyville…

The young Gladius was walking with his father and mother, he was a young colt. He wore a hat that was based off the Wonderbolts mask, but in a hat. He was hopping ahead of his parents as they held hooves, his father's eyes never leaving his son. His father had an orange coat, and a red mane. He had a cutie mark of a hammer, as he was a blacksmith. They lived on an island city far from Equestria, and blacksmiths were favored in society. His mother had a black coat, and a yellow mane. She had a cutie mark of a firebolt, showing she had control over fire. They were walking from a show of the Wonderbolts, which only happened when they decided to do shows outside of Equestria. Gladius was more than pleased when his father showed him the tickets.

"Son, don't get too far ahead."

"Ok, Daddy!"

The young colt bounced over to his father, nuzzling right up to his side. The older stallion ruffled his mane as he looked at his wife. "He's got your energy, you know." The mare smiled, and replied, "And he has your eagerness." The father laughed as a white stallion stood in front of them. "Ah, hello. May we go by you?" Gladius stopped as he looked at the pony in front of him. His father waved his hoof in front of himself. "Hello?" The whit pony looked at him with his pale blue eyes, and he said, "Your son. Give him to me." Gladius backed away, and his mother said, "What kind of question is-"Her question died as a black blade fell her, her body falling to the ground as her husband tried to fight the demon. He was knocked away, as Gladius was picked up, and the white pony flew away with the colt. Everything went black, and the memory fades…

Gladius returned to the present, his eyes filled with tears. He hoped the young one hadn't been woken up by his own crying. He looked at his companion, and saw her eyes were still shut, she was kicking slightly in her dreams. He walked forward, and again, saw the barn of the orchard in the far distance, and made a silent decision. He has to defeat Mesna. Not for his sake anymore. It was for the safety of everyone, especially now his newly adopted child, Blizzard Storm.


	7. Chapter 7

**So sorry for the wait, getting ready for back to school, hard to keep up with the writing. I will get on a regular schedule for writing once I start up a new year of school. Anyway, I'm happy that people are liking the story. If you have any suggestions, leave it in a review. Now, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 7

Gladius reached the farmhouse much faster than he expected, mainly because he had newfound fervor in his step. When he reached the door, he didn't even have a chance to knock when Applejack opened the door. "Gladius! Where've you been?" She then noticed the small filly on his back. "Who's that?"

"I'll explain soon, she needs sleep."

Applejack let them in, and as Gladius walked in, he was greeted with the smell of apples and a rather warm feeling. He could see a rocking chair, and an older looking couch in the room. He walked over to the bed, and set Blizzard down, careful not to drop her too fast. She slid down off his wing onto the couch, not stirring once. "Now, what in tarnation happened, and why do ya got a lil' filly now?"

"I was out flying, and I first ran into somepony called Luna, and then…"

He explained what happened, not skipping over how he met Blizzard, and how her parents died. Applejack stood there in thought, not sure of what to do. "Applejack…I need a place for her to stay." She looked at him, her green eyes searching his own red eyes. "She can stay here, anypony who's a friend can." Gladius smiled, grateful for her generosity. "Thank you."

"It's all right. You need rest, too, you know." Gladius couldn't help but let his joy fade. "I'm not sure about going to sleep…"

Applejack put a hoof on his shoulder. "I'll be here if you need me." Gladius nodded, and laid down next to Blizzard. The filly inadvertently nuzzled up into his chin. "Ok, Applejack. I'll try."

He found himself in a black void, standing on nothing. He walked around the void, finding there were barriers that kept him within a certain portion of the void. The barriers felt hard, and they felt rough as he pushed his hoof against the wall. In his mind, he wondered if his fire could light the void. When he created the light, he instantly regretted his decision. He saw he was in the cave where he fought the dragon, and he was greeted by the decaying face of the mother of Blizzard Storm. He jumped back in fear as the face fell forward towards him. He stood there, horrified by this image. The dead pony stood up, the flesh almost falling away as it walked towards him, its left eye dangling lifelessly as it said quietly, "Why couldn't you save me? Where was your power?" Gladius started to run, trying to escape that horrible face. The pony was right behind him, as he tried to keep running through the winding caves, and as he ran, more decaying corpses began to appear ahead of him, then they too began to chase him through the dark, descending tunnel. He could hear familiar voices scolding him, asking him why. "Why couldn't y'all love me?!... You could've saved us…Don't leave me…" Gladius kept the light ahead of him, and kept running as the voices kept hounding his mind. "Stop! Stop this madness!" Gladius shouted against the wall behind him, and he could see the faces of his friends, his parents, Blizzard, Applejack. He then heard a single voice, which sent his heart into the cold.

"Turn off the light, embrace the dark. Then you can escape your demons."

The voice…he knew it as Mesna's voice, the pale blue eyes resting hard in his memory. He saw no other escape from this nightmare, if he could even call it this. He extinguished the fires around him, as he ran into the pitch black. He heard the din around him die, as the world around him was drowned out by a single phrase.

"Your soul shall be mine."

He jolted awake, falling off the couch as he flailed in the air before falling hard onto the floor. He laid on the floor as he tried to recount his experience. He felt his body was drained, almost dead out of energy. He looked up, and saw the filly was already gone. He tried to stand up from the floor, and was greeted by a feeling similar to when he first woke up. He stumbled as he tried to get to the door. He opened it as a cyan blur knocked him back to the floor, and he heard the voice of Applejack following the pony that knocked him down. "Dashie, you have to-Gladius! Geez, Dash, you knocked him right over!" Gladius lost all motive to try to get back up, and he could see the mare who he saw as Rainbow Dash pop up into his vision. "You all right?" He pulled some heat from the air around him to recover, and stood up, if not irritated. "I think I'll be fine." Rainbow Dash sat in the air, almost unfazed by his look. "Anyway, AJ, I remembered that this pony gave some trouble earlier," giving Gladius a poke in the chest as she talked, "And I thought, he might be fast." Gladius gave a short scoff, and stated out of pride, "I'm faster than you can think." He really didn't know what he meant by this, but he had hit the spot. "What, you think you're fast, huh? Let's have a race, then." Dash came down to the ground, and walked out the door. "You're on, sweetheart." Gladius knew he was hitting all the buttons she didn't want pushed, as she glared at him as he walked by her out the door.

_Two Hours Earlier…_

Blizzard Storm awoke early, her blue eyes met sunlight piercing the curtains blocking the window. She looked around her, the house she was in unfamiliar to her. She looked beside her to see the shadow colored stallion she had met the night before fidgeting in his sleep. But that means, she thought…

That wasn't a dream…

She stood up, quietly walking away from the sleeping pony, as she walked, a tear in her eye. Blizzard was about to open the door, when it opened from the other side. An orange mare, wearing an old hat pushed from the other side, her blonde mane tied into a ponytail that draped down one side. Blizzard let a small squeak as she jumped back. "Oh, hey there, lil' one. How ya feeling?" Blizzard stood there, looking at the mare before her. She could see past her and see a large farm, apple trees and other crops were swaying slightly to a calm breeze. The sun was out, only a few wispy clouds dotted the sky. "How did I get here?" The filly gave her response quietly, but Applejack caught it. "That stallion Gladius brought ya here. He told me 'bout what happened." Blizzard trembled a bit at the memory of her mother, but it was cut off by Applejack's voice. "Ya want something to eat?" The young one nodded, and then she followed the older mare out of the house, and to the orchard. She could see three other fillies playing out in a nearby field, hopping around, playing tag. She looked back to the mare, when she stopped, and kicked an adjacent tree. Apples fell down into a basket, and she moved to allow Blizzard access to it. "Take your pick, sugarcube." Blizzard picked up the apple at the top of the pile, and took a bite out of it. It had become instantly cold at her touch, but she didn't mind. She savored its rich flavor, as she sat down. "Take your time, and eat up." Applejack walked away as Blizzard kept eating. She's nice, Blizzard thought. She reminds me of Mama…

_Present_

Rainbow Dash and Gladius stood at a line that had been drawn on the road, a crowd of ponies cheering as Pinkie Pie took a microphone. "Who's ready for a race?" Gladius couldn't help but chuckle at her exuberance. Rainbow took notice of his laugh, and decided to taunt him. She flew up and did a loop in the air, before coming back to the ground. They stood in front of Sugarcube Corner, it was a straight race to Twilight's library. "Since you both know the rules, let's get right to it!" Gladius braced his muscles, as he saw Dash take a ready position. He started to absorb heat from the air, his body's energy at the highest he's felt it. "Get ready to watch my flank, Dashie." He could see the fire burning behind her eyes, she was ready to prove him wrong. "You're probably used to that kind of view." Gladius laughed at her remark, and got ready.

"Three two one go!"

At that last syllable, both of the ponies had taken off, their speed pulling dust from the ground.

Gladius and Dash were flying neck and neck, they couldn't pass each other. Dash looked over at the stallion, and remarked, "Can't go any faster?" Gladius retorted, "I haven't even started." He looked ahead, there was still a lot of distance between them and the finish, despite how fast they were going. Trees and fields were a blur as they raced towards the library. Gladius could see she was pushing to keep up, but he could go faster. He started inching forward, he was starting to accelerate again. Dash started flapping her wings faster, catching back up to him. She could see that she could only win if she could pull off a Sonic Rainboom. She started to get faster, and faster, but he was keeping up with her. How is he doing this, she thought to herself. As they both started to get faster and faster, until, there was a huge boom.

Gladius' mane lit up as they both created a sonic boom, a flash of rainbow and fire exploding out as they zoomed towards the finish line. They were neck and neck, as they came closer, and closer. Gladius looked quickly towards the cyan mare, he could see that neither of them could maintain this speed for much longer. As they both crossed the finish line, a flash appeared to the left and right of Gladius' vision. Then both he and Rainbow Dash had to slow down before coming down a far ways away from the library. They walked back to the finish line, their wings far too exhausted to fly themselves back. As they returned, Twilight stood there with the pictures from the photo finish. "We have to declare a tie!" Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped as she looked at the picture, her and the stallion crossed at precisely the same time. "Well, you're faster than I thought." Gladius walked up to her. "I must say, I feel great for racing. Let's go again sometime." Dash looked at him with a prideful stare. "You bet I will." She walked away, to talk to her friends. Gladius walked over to Blizzard Storm, who had been watching with her new found friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "That was cool, Gladius. How'd you do that?" He stood there, even he was unsure of how he did it. "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to see how fast I could go." He looked at the filly, a feeling of accomplishment washing over him. "Gladius?"

"Yes, Blizzard?"

"Look at the moon. You can see it in the day today."

He looked to the sky, and couldn't help but feel the dark feeling of dread return as he remembered that in two days, the full moon rises.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello all, back again, finally. I'm sorry I couldn't write earlier, I've been so busy! I hope I can get at least a few chapters this next week. As always, leave reviews and suggestions for me!**

Chapter 8

A short while after the race, Blizzard had left with Applebloom back to the orchard, and all the other ponies left to return to their normal day routines. This left Gladius to his own devices, walking down the road in the middle of the town. He looked through the pure windows of shops, but he never bought anything, as he had no money to spend. He looked at the pleasant gardens of ponies who lived in the homes within the town, many having an idyllic manner in their actions. Gladius felt a cool breeze push past his ears, through his mane. He watched as a few small fillies bounded around the road, playing some game. He looked to the sky, only a few small clouds dotted the otherwise clear, blue sky. He could see it all. The object of a fantasy. It was peace, a joyful kind of this state that made him feel a lightness in his heart. As he walked forward through the town, he walked forward, but his mind wandered to the last night's dream…

"Your soul is mine."

Those words pierced his mind. How can his soul be anyone else's? Why can't I remember where I came from, besides that gruesome image?

As he was lost in thought, his eyes down on the ground, he didn't notice the blur of pink flying towards him and then tackling him to the ground. "Urf!" He let out a sound as he fell backwards, a pair of blue eyes directly in front of his, and the weight of the mare on his chest. "Hi! I bet I surprised you, didn't I?" Gladius just looked up at her, and let out a small laugh. "Ok, you got me that time, Pinkie." She hopped back up, and was bouncing up and down in place while she waited for Gladius to stand back up. As Gladius stood back up, and dusted himself off he heard Pinkie start back up. "So I was looking for someone who wasn't busy, but EVERYONE was busy! Which is weird, because there's almost never a time where everyone was busy! So-"

Gladius put a hoof up to her mouth, and just looked at her with an eyebrow arched up as he took a small breath. "Could you please slow down and just tell me what you need?" The pink earth pony smiled her normal grin, nodded, then continued. "Well, I was looking for somepony to help me out, 'cause we just got a BIG order." Her hooves stretched out to almost unrealistic lengths to emphasize the size of what she was talking about. "And if you're not busy, I would love the help!" Her eyes fixated themselves on his own, and she waited for his reply. "Well, I don't think I know how to cook well, but I have nothing else to do, so why-?" Before he could finish, Pinkie let out a small squeal and she picked him off his hooves as they zoomed down the road towards Sugarcube Corner.

"Hey, Mr. Cake! Hey, Mrs. Cake! I found a friend to help me with the order!" The energetic pink pony walked happily over past them towards the kitchen, still holding the pegasus by the hoof, unaware that she still had his hoof. "How are you, dearie? I'm Mrs. Cake." Gladius looked at the older blue mare, and smiled. "I'm doing well. And yourself?" The mare smiled a warm, motherly smile, and replied, "I see Pinkie's found a gentlecolt! I'm doing well, thank you." Gladius became confused by her first statement, but his thoughts were cut off by Pinkie's next outburst. "We'll get right on the order!" She dragged the stallion in tow back to the kitchen as Mrs. Cake continued to speak. "I left the list on the counter for you! I swear, if she found a stallion with the patience for her energy…"

Gladius, still wondering what Mrs. Cake had meant by 'found a gentlecolt', but had little time to think before Pinkie got back to talking. "Could you get the things on this list from the pantry?" Gladius looked at the list, and read over the list. "Ok, but I need my hoof back if you want me to get them, Pinkie." He smiled as he raised their joined hooves to her eyes. Her cheeks grew to a light red that was only just visible to Gladius. She let go, and laughed lightly. "Yeah, you might need that." She bounded back to get out the bowls and pans the ponies may need. Gladius chuckled to himself and walked over to the pantry. He opened the door to it, and found a small foal sitting on the flour bag. "Oh, hello, little guy." The foal had a very blissful look on his eyes. "I need that bag. Can I pick you up and move you?" The foal simply picked up his rear from his sitting position, and moved slowly down to the floor, and then sat back down to the floor. "Boo." The stallion laughed at the foal's little talk, and picked him up with his right hoof. "Let's go back to Mama." He took the foal back to Mrs. Cake, getting a 'thank you', and he returned back, Pinkie still bouncing through the bowls under the counter. Gladius picked up the bag of flour, and placed it onto the counter. "What else did I need?" Pinkie then pulled out everything else that was needed to cook the order. "What are we making, anyway?" Pinkie held up a cupcake, and smiled before wolfing it down "Cupcakes!" She giggled as she licked off the excess frosting.

Gladius followed her instructions, mainly just 'pour this here', and 'mix this, please'. Gladius couldn't help but feel a sense of joy as they made batches over batches of cupcakes. As they worked over the ovens, he noticed her tail had frosting on it. He started to chuckle as she kept working. "What are you laughing at?" Pinkie had a smile on her face, and Gladius pointed to her tail. She looked, and laughed as she tried to clean it off. Gladius started laughing as she kept spinning around trying to get the frosting. She finally got it, after rolling up and pulling her tail up to her face. By this point, Gladius was back to a chuckle, as he looked at her. "You looked pretty funny doing that." She looked at him mischievously as she put some frosting on his tail, and on his nose. He started looping around while licking his face. This brought Pinkie to the ground, her hooves clasped over her stomach as she laughed at his antics. Once he got the frosting off, he arched his eyebrow again, and flung a small glob of frosting onto her face. She giggled, and retaliated with her own attack of frosting. This turned into a full-on war, Pinkie launching blobs of multi-colored frosting from her party cannon and Gladius throwing large balls of the frosting back. Mrs. Cake walked into the kitchen, her eyes wide at the small battle of food going on. As Gladius and Pinkie Pie noticed her looking at them, they slowed down, and just looked back at her. She rolled her eyes, as she said, "I swear, I thought I'd only have this happen once. Please just clean up after you're done, dearies." She walked back into the main room, as Pinkie hit Gladius in the face with a last blob. He chuckled and decided to end the battle. "Ok, we should clean up."

After spending some time cleaning the room down, they stood in the kitchen, wide smiles adorned their faces. Pinkie Pie noticed a small piece of frosting on Gladius' face, and hopped up and licked it off. She blushed lightly again, and said, "Thanks for the help!" Gladius replied, "It was fun. I'm going to head out now. I hope we can do that again sometime." He walked out of the kitchen, and out of the front door.

Pinkie Pie stood there, after he left, and bounded back into the main room with Mrs. Cake and Mr. Cake. "We finished the order, Mrs. Cake!" Mrs. Cake smiled, and replied, "Thank you, dear. I can see why you two are such a great pair." Pinkie's cheeks went a bright red once she realized what she had meant. "We aren't like THAT, you know." She was right up near Mrs. Cake's face with her statement, yet the maternal mare could see past that. "You should talk to him about it, when you see him again, dearie." Pinkie's jaw was wide open, but she picked it back up with her hoof, and gave it some thought. I haven't had a coltfriend before, Pinkie thought to herself. "I know!" And with that, Pinkie was off, racing towards Twilight's library.

Gladius watched as Pinkie zoomed by him as he walked down the road, now in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage. It's about noon, Gladius thought to himself, remembering the time he had last seen in the confectionary he was at earlier. As he walked down the dirt path towards the cottage, many animals came out to look at him. He took notice of small critters underneath the various plants around him. He smiled, happy to be in a place so untouched by most. He walked up to the door of the cottage, and as he raised his hoof to knock on the door, he heard a quiet voice behind him, "Hello…Gladius?" Gladius turned around and saw the yellow pegasus, standing meekly with a basket of vegetables and other food things next to her. "Hello Fluttershy." He smiled warmly as the mare looked at him with curiosity. He pushed the door open for her, and watched as she walked in ahead of him. "If you're not too busy, Gladius…could you please find Angel?" She placed the basket of foodstuff down in the kitchen, and turned to face the stallion. "Sure thing. Where should I check?" Fluttershy pointed towards a small, house shaped structure outside the window. "I'll go find him." Gladius walked outside, and came around to the small shack. "Angel? You in there?" Gladius felt a small paw give his nose a hard push, and he fell backwards. The white bunny walked out, a displeased look on his face. "Fluttershy's back. Want some food?" The rabbit rolled its eyes, and walked its way into the cottage. Gladius shook his head, and stood back up. "Ok, not very sociable." He walked back inside, and moved his hoof as Angel hopped back out of the door, a fresh, ripe carrot in its small paws now. Gladius looked back up to Fluttershy, who was giving a salad to a pair of otters that had walked in beforehand. "I'll be out near the bridge." Gladius started to turn, when he heard a murmur come from Fluttershy, the timid mare hiding behind her mane. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that. Could you repeat that, please?" He walked a bit closer as she tried to say it again. "I was just wondering if…" The rest was lost as she cowered back behind her mane. "You can just tell me. I'd like to know." Gladius smiled, and tilted his head to the left slightly. Fluttershy took a breath, and finally said, "Would it be ok if I came with you? I-If that's ok with you." She pawed at the ground nervously, her face covered by her long, pink mane. "Certainly. Are there any places we could walk to?" Fluttershy perked up at his reply, and answered, "We could walk near the edge of the forest, if you'd like." Gladius nodded, and walked out the door. As Fluttershy walked out behind him, she talked to Angel. "Please take care of the house while I'm out, Angel bunny." The rabbit made a stance of disapproval, but he nodded.

The ponies walked out over the bridge, and to the left, towards the edge of the forest. As they walked, Gladius looked around him, using his 'heat sense', as he called it, to find the many birds and other creatures amongst the foliage. "It must be nice to live way out here. It's so peaceful…" Gladius looked to Fluttershy, her blue eyes reflecting the sun rays that came through the leaves. She nodded, and replied, "It is. I can be close to the animals. That's why I got my cutie mark." She pushed her mane out of her face, and looked to the ground. "I wish I could know this peace forever, but…" Gladius' expression went to that of doubt, and he felt Fluttershy's wing pull him closer into a side hug. "I'm sure you can." Gladius felt a warm feeling course through him, and he looked at her. "It's just…I'm not sure I can, what with these nightmares, and my power…" Fluttershy just looked him in the eye, and stood in front of him. "I'm sure you can find peace in knowing that you have friends ready to help you get past all of this." She instantly reconciled to her shy demeanor, and squeaked as she backed up slightly. "Thank you, Fluttershy. That…really means something." Gladius gestured that they could keep walking, and she smiled and nodded.

After a long while of walking near the forest, and talking about the animals, and how Gladius' power works, among many others things, they finally returned back to the cottage. "It was great talking to you, Fluttershy." She nodded, "I'm happy we could talk." Gladius looked at the door, and paused before saying, "I feel like I've done this before…" He looked around, an odd, familiar feeling in his stomach. "How do you mean?" Fluttershy looked at him curiously, and stepped a bit closer. "It's like…I've been here before. At the door of a home, taking a wonderful mare back home…" He considered what he said, and slightly blushed in answer to her red cheeks. "Well, I hope we can talk again." Fluttershy pushed the door open, and walked inside. "I do too." Gladius turned around, feeling happier than when he first arrived, and started walking back towards the town.

Fluttershy walked over to the counter, looking out the window towards the setting sun. "Angel bunny, what do I do? He's a gentlecolt, but I don't think he could ever be interested in somepony like me…" Angel rolled his eyes, and looked up at her. He bopped her nose, and gestured in a way to communicate. "You really think so?" Angel nodded, and walked over to a pillow on the nearby couch, picked up a pillow, and promptly fell asleep. "Maybe…" Fluttershy took some vegetables, and headed out to feed some more of her animals to think over the circumstances.

Gladius decided to fly back to the town, in a need to stretch his wings. He pushed off the ground, and flew up until he was on eye level with some far away clouds. His mind began to clear as the cool wind pushed by his wings, each feather feeling the graceful feeling. His eyes reflected the beautiful skyline, the shades of red, pink, and orange dancing over the clouds in the distance. Gladius felt the heat well up within him, a heightened sense of his surroundings. He felt his imagination dance, at the sights and feelings within him. He slowed down, and tried to bring his imagination to life in the form of fire. A spear of pure fire materialized near him, and he moved it around him as he flew. It disappeared, and he tried something new. He made heat push on his wings, and he began to ascend. He began to speed up, and then slowed down again. He grinned at his newfound mastery, but he heard a voice, the same voice he always could hear when he was alone. "You are weak. Your power is wasted. Why do you try to resist? Let the darkness take you." Shut up, Gladius retorted in his mind. He heard a small laugh that chilled him. "Your kindness towards others is a true contrast to your true self. That's why I sent your darkness back. He will return tomorrow night, on the Eve of the Summer Sun celebration…I can already see it…" The voice cackled as Gladius came down to the ground, just outside the town. What's that? Gladius became confused as he looked up to the sky. "It's a celebration, in honor of Celestia. She'll be here. And so will Blood Gladius…" Gladius put two and two together and his mane lit up. "Good. You're angry. That is good. It shows some hope for you. Farewell for now…" Gladius let his mane's fire crawl back down, and he walked into town. "I should ask Twilight about the celebration. She would know." He took back off, and flew towards the other edge of town, in search of the knowledge he needed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Finally, a new chapter! I've been talking with another user for ideas, StormingIsraphel, who's been really helpful! Thanks for the help, man. Anyway, check his stuff out, and as always, leave reviews and suggestions! **

Chapter 9

Gladius touched down on the ground, his wings curled back into his sides. His crimson eyes scanned the library for lights, as the sun was setting and the shadows were beginning to creep down the roads. He saw a single light emanating from the upstairs window. He trotted up to the door, and knocked on the door with his hoof. He heard small pattering of feet behind the door, coming closer as a small, purple and green dragon opened the door, looking up at the pony. "Oh, hey. What do you need?" He put his scaly hand to his chin as the purple mare Gladius had come to see walked up behind him. "Who is it, Spike-oh hi, Gladius." She greeted him with a smile, and allowed him to walk into the building. He could see countless books lining shelves, of different genres and ages filling each section of the room. He walked calmly into the main room, and his observations were interrupted by Twilight's voice. "So, what can I help you with, Gladius?" Gladius looked at her, her purple eyes glowing by the light of the sunset peering through the window. "I was wondering what the Summer Sun Celebration is. And why there's nothing going on to prepare it." His eyes darkened slightly at the end, and Twilight quickly replied, "It's a celebration of my teacher, Princess Celestia. The preparations are done the day before, which is tomorrow. Then, we stay up all night to wait for the sun to rise. It's very exciting." She looked at him inquisitively, and decided to ask, "Why did you need to know?" He looked at her, and responded, "I'm just concerned, because tomorrow's also the full moon…" His eyes found themselves fixed on her own, transfixed by them. Twilight's eyes widened as she remembered the significance of the full moon. "Oh goddess, how can we deal with this?" She ran a hoof through her dark purple mane, her bangs falling over her face. Gladius put a hoof to his chin, and tried to pitch ideas to her as they walked in a circle around the room, debating. "What if I stayed out of town, he'd follow me…" Twilight retaliated with her logical reply. "But he may very well attack the town, it'd be better if you were near the town." Gladius considered this, but found a flaw. "But what if our battle causes destruction to the town? I can't afford to put anypony in danger." Twilight found her point:

"But the Princess has guards, they could battle with you."

"If this 'darkness' has my magic, unless they are unicorns, they won't stand much of a chance."

"They are well trained soldiers, you know."

"Perhaps, but he may-"

Gladius was cut off as he and Twilight collided in the center of the library, neither of them had bothered to look up in their walking around the room. He looked up and looked at Twilight, and started to chuckle. Twilight laughed as well, and they both stood back up.

"Well, thanks Twilight. I'm going to head back to the orchard, it's getting pretty late." Gladius started to walk out of the library, and as he walked out, Twilight's voice followed him. "Have a good night, Gladius."

As the door quietly closed behind the stallion, Twilight visibly slumped. "I bet all the mares are after somepony as intelligent as him." She decided to look for any books regarding the type of magic Gladius was wielding, or about 'darkness.'

Gladius took off once again, his wings spread out as he jumped from the ground. As he flew up, he could see that it had begun to rain. His eyes narrowed as he flew against the wind, as he needed to fly towards the orchard in the distance. The wind began to pick up, and he felt the push against his body, his black wings cutting through the wind. As the rain hit his skin, he felt its cold patter against him. He could see the small storm was getting far too intense to fly safely, so he aimed down for the ground, in order to land. Damn, this is quite the storm, Gladius thought to himself. As it was now nighttime, it became very hard to see where the ground was. He felt the wind suddenly pick up and he was lifted up into the air, and he lost control of his body in the air. "Oh n-"He was cut off as he hit the ground, the wind knocked out of his body. He laid on the ground for a moment, as he regained his senses. He stood up, mud coating his hooves and back. He folded his wings into his sides, and looked forward in the town. I guess everypony is inside, mused Gladius to himself. He walked down the center road of Ponyville, his eyes watching all of the corners of darkness around him. His ears perked up as he heard a small bonging sound from his left. He looked to what he could tell as a large, lavish building. He could see Rarity inside the building, tapping on the window, with an alarmed look on her face. Gladius quickly walked towards her, looking at her through the window. She pointed to the door adjacent to the large, oval window. He walked to the door, and pushed it open. "Hello Rarity, thanks for-"Before he could finish his thanks, Rarity interposed with her own thoughts. "My dear, what in Equestria happened to you? Your mane is so out of sorts!" Gladius raised his eyebrow, but looked up and saw her source of discomfort. His red mane was darkened by a coat of dirt and mud that had accumulated when he fell from the air. He looked at himself, and saw he was covered in dirt from hoof to head. "Yeah, I guess I'm out of sorts." He looked at her, her long, purple mane cascaded down her face as she flustered to get some brushes and other cleaning products from shelves and other areas. He watched her as she came back, after setting everything she needed in a washing room in the second floor. "Darling, if you could follow me. I'd like to get you cleaned up." Gladius unfolded his wings, and used them to fly carefully over the floor. Rarity gave him a confused look, and asked, "Is there any reason you want to fly to the bath, darling?" Gladius stopped moving forward, and gave Rarity a sheepish look. "I just didn't think it'd be polite to get dirt everywhere in your place." Rarity blushed to herself, and replied, "That's quite all right, thank you for your concern." Gladius came down gently, but still took care in not getting dirt everywhere.

After a half hour of cleaning and brushing, at Rarity's request, Gladius had his measurements taken, in case he ever needed a suit for a formal appearance. He gave no complaints as she went over each of his measurements, and wrote them down on a piece of paper. "I have a question, Rarity." Rarity looked up at him, as she took a tape measure and checked his wing length when they're folded on his side. "What do you need, darling?" He looked forward, his eyes evident with confusion. "Have you ever had feeling for somepony, but you really don't know if they're true?" Gladius looked down from the small pedestal he stood on, Rarity writing down the measurement. "Personally, I haven't. If I had feelings for somepony, I was sure they were true. Why do you ask?" Gladius stepped down, as she gave him a gesture showing she was done. "I have feelings for one mare. But, then earlier today, I found I had feelings for a few more. But, I don't know if they're true feelings." He looked outside, into the night, as he could see the rain begin to subside. "Darling, I'm sure you'll pick the one who's right for you." She gave him a reassuring smile, and put a hoof on his shoulder. He returned her smile, and nodded. "Thanks Rarity. I'll be going now." He walked out of the boutique, and took off from the ground in front of the door. "Maybe that somepony could be me…" Rarity smiled, as she walked back to her work, a smile on her face.


	10. Chapter 10

**Finally, a new chapter in this story! I read over what is already there, and I found typos 0_0. But I'm happy that people still like the story. Anyway, back to the story! Leave reviews and suggestions!**

Chapter 10

Luna walked from her chambers, her mind clouded by confusion of her encounter. As she walked through the grand hallways of the castle, the night shift guards saluted her, then continued their rounds. She gave small waves to each one she met. As she continued to make her way through the hallways to where her sister was, in the dining room, she ran over what she knew. A being she was told of, called Mesna, has somehow found his way to Equestria, and is a major threat. But how would only one pony know of this? Surely if there was a large threat to the land, more would know.

As she entered the grand dining room, her sister, Celestia, was reading an aged book as she occasionally took a bite from a sandwich on a petit plate at her left. Luna took in a small breath, and walked to her sister, her midnight blue mane falling behind her as she approached her. "Sister, I have something that I must ask you of." Celestia looked up from her book, and looked upon her sister with her purple eyes, her benevolence shining in her eyes. "What do you need, Luna?" Luna met her sister's gaze and replied with a question, "What do you know of a creature called Mesna?" Celestia's expression shifted to a look of concern. "Why do you ask?" Luna saw the reaction, and replied, "I came across a stallion who had lost his memory, and mentioned he was being troubled by this Mesna. I know I have heard the name, but-"

"Where is he?"

"He's residing in Ponyville. Why do you ask, Sister?" Luna's voice mirrored her confusion and curiosity.

Celestia returned her question with a troubled look down, into the ancient pages of the book in front of her. "Did he mention where this Mesna is?" She seemed to be looking for the answer in the pages before her. Luna could only reply, "No, I don't recall him telling me of his location. But he told me that he has to face some type of challenge from him." Celestia looked at her, with more concern than before. "When?"

"Tomorrow, on the full moon."

Gladius looked into the stars above as he landed on a soft cloud, sitting down gently. As he folded in his wings, he began to let his mind go through his last two days. Why am I here, he thought. He could bring up images from the days, but sounds were faded. He could see his food fight with Pinkie, his race with Rainbow Dash, Him and Twilight's logic session, Rarity taking care in his appearance, and most of all, Applejack and Blizzard Storm at the orchard. He felt the warm feeling of familiarity going through him. As he did, he felt his mind drift to a night where he could place this feeling to as well…

He was watching through the window of a home, rain was pattering on the warped windows of the small home. He watched as a small bundle of cloth was placed into a small bed, painted red, orange, and yellow, as was the rest of the room. The mare that was holding the bundle, gave a smile as the bundle shuffled, and a small colt's head was revealed. He had a black coat, and a red mane. Gladius then realized that it was him, and that the mare was his mother from before. Her yellow mane fell over her face, and she pushed it back as the young colt gave a small sound, most likely from a dream. Just then, the small pony began to cry. His mother then picked up the small one, and began to sing the lullaby.

"Somewhere, over the rainbow…"

As she sang the song, ending on, "Oh why can't I?" the colt's cries began to decrescendo, until it was no more than a small hum. She set him back down, and he fell asleep once more. She smiled, and walked to the door. All of the light went out as she walked out of the small room, and she said softly,

"Good night, my little one."

As Gladius returned his thoughts to the now, he felt the warm feeling begin to fade, as he remembered his task, and one detail from his dreams. "What will I remember when the darkness returns to me?" The voice, that cold, harsh voice, penetrated his thoughts. "You will only add onto your knowledge, and you will learn much." Gladius became enraged by Mesna's voice. "Why do you persist on telling me things, but not explaining?" He could tell this was going to go nowhere, but he may as well try. "I was raised in a time where explanations weren't needed. As did you." Gladius' brow furrowed, and he replied, more malice in his mental voice than he intended, "I'd know what you mean if I remembered." Mesna gave a short cackle, and went silent for a second. "It wasn't my power that caused this." Gladius stopped cold as he heard this. "But…How?"

"You may soon find out. Return to your petty friendships, or whatever they may become."

Gladius sat in silence as he heard the flapping of wings behind him. He looked down at the ground below, and then to the sky above. "You okay, Gladius? You look down." Rainbow Dash came and sat down next to the somber stallion, looking to the stars as well. "Just thinking." Rainbow crossed her forelegs, and replied, "About what, exactly?" Gladius looked for a star to focus on. "These last few days. I'm supposed to remember what I've forgotten tomorrow night, but… do I want to know?" He created a small fire in his hoof, and stared into it. It dissipated as Rainbow Dash pushed his hoof gently. "If I forgot everything, I'd want to know it." Gladius looked at his hoof, and asked, "What if the past is something hard to think about?" She looked at Gladius, and replied, "It'd still be better to know." He looked at her, the pair of purple eyes reflecting the stars above. "I guess so. I guess I better head back to the orchard." As he was about to leave, she stopped him with her hoof. "I have something to tell you." Gladius stood there, looking at her from the now formed perch on top of a small mound of cloud had formed. "Yes? What do you need?" Rainbow Dash looked at him with mixed expression of a look. "I was bored, so I followed you around." Gladius nodded, and gave her the notion to continue. "Well, I overheard that pretty much everypony has a crush on you." Gladius stared at her blankly, and she looked at him the same. "A crush? I don't quite get your meaning." Rainbow looked at him with a confused look. "You know? Like, feelings?" Gladius realized what she meant, and his eyebrow went up. "What do you mean, everypony?" Rainbow replied, "Well, everypony you visited today." Gladius looked at her, confused, then a smirk crossed his face. "Even you?" He could see the blush form on her face, and he gave a laugh. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" Gladius flew down to the orchard, his wings folding in as he walked into the farmhouse. "What a kidder". Rainbow Dash took off quickly towards Cloudsdale, not ready to admit what she would've said.

Celestia stood at her balcony, watching as the moon began to rise, the pale light illuminating the streets of the city before her. The lights of the city windows shined like stars in the distance. As night descended over the city, truly, she lowered her head, as a rolled up scroll made a small poof as it appeared behind her. She used her magic to unroll it, checking its contents.

_Princess Celestia,_

_My friends and I have met an interesting pony recently. He can control fire! I was wondering if you had any books on this kind of magic. He also spoke of a danger coming on the Summer Sun Celebration. Can you please put more into security if he's right? He brought up many good points about what may happen when we spoke today. I decided to put this all in one letter so you may have it all together. He brought up a pony called 'Mesna'. _

_Your faithful student,_

_Twilight Sparkle_

A danger at the Celebration? I wasn't aware of this, Celestia thought to herself. This requires some more work on her part. She levitated a piece of paper, and began to write her reply. I must call up the captain of the guard, to ask for more security. She called a guard, standing at her door. "Guard. Please send for the captain. I must speak to him." The guard nodded, and walked out the door quickly. As she finished the letter, she looked it over for any mistakes in her writing, then sent it off.

_To my faithful student,_

_I will see what I can do for you about more security and finding a book about elemental magic. I do recall a civilization that could use this magic. When I arrive, I shall speak to you more on the matter. On the subject of Mesna, he was a ruler of that civilization. This is also a subject better spoke of in person. _

_Your teacher,_

_Princess Celestia_


End file.
